


Odin Dark and the Forgotten Curse

by Squishy (BurbleJerry)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Drowning, Fainting, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, MerMay, Multi, Nudity, Partial Nudity, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurbleJerry/pseuds/Squishy
Summary: Odin is sent to find a traitor to Nohr, but his mission doesn’t go as planned.





	Odin Dark and the Forgotten Curse

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been vaguely floating around in my head for months. What better time to write it then MerMay? Hope y’all enjoy this bit of incredible self-indulgence and minimal editing wooooo!

The mission was going well, until it wasn’t. Odin cursed as he nearly slipped, again, upon the slick, grey stone. He caught himself upon a tall rock with one hand, the other holding his sandals, though removing them had only moderately improved his ability to walk. The entire cavern was nothing but grey stalagmites and stalactites of various shape and size, and Odin’s legs were bruised and scraped from the treacherous terrain.

The cavern echoed every curse, every scattering of rocks, and every dull thud of a poor limb smacked against stone. Odin had already enchanted his sandals to emit light, since he was holding them and nobody was around to tease him about it. He wondered why the ground was slick, and where the water from above dripped from; he didn’t recall seeing any lakes or rivers above the cave when he entered. Not that he could see much, even with the magical light.

The locals had warned him not to enter. They claimed a curse lay hidden within the cavern, and none returned. But Odin had been sent to find an enemy of Nohr, and a cursed cavern seemed like the perfect hiding place. He couldn’t let Lord Leo down!

Entering the cavern had been easy, at first. The initial few yards were smoother, easier to walk on, and the light from outside shone in easily. Then Odin had hit a wall, or so it seemed. He found a crack in the wall, and ‘Blazing Thunderstorm’ had been enough to break it open, revealing a hidden cavern.

Odin felt as if he’d been traversing the cave forever. His feet and legs ached from struggling against the rough, wet ground. It was hard for him to breathe the still air, and if it were any more humid, he was sure he’d be drowning. The light from his hastily-enchanted sandals only revealed grey rock, and the black shadows of grey rocks upon smaller grey rocks.

He found a broken-off mound of rock he could sit upon. As uncomfortable as it was, he needed the break. Panting, chest burning, he dug through his belt pouch and found his sole vulnerary. Lord Leo always allowed him to prepare before these missions, which Odin deeply appreciated; yet as he downed a good third of the medicine, he wondered if he’d underpacked.

“Nonsense,” he told himself, then stopped in surprise at his own dry voice. Odin cleared his throat and tried again. “Nonsense! No hidden cavern will be the death of Odin Dark,” he managed before breaking into a raspy coughing fit as the humid air re-affected his freshly-restored lungs. Once he had his breath back, he recorked the vulnerary, repacked it, and stood again to resume his journey with stubborn determination.

As Odin continued along the cavern, he realized the air was growing even more humid, the ground wetter, the ceiling drippier. His short hair matted to his head and his cape clung to his body. The grey mesh was poor cover; he was soaked as if he’d been sweating on a hot day, yet it was cool in the cave. He could only pray that his tomes would survive this experience unscathed.

Eventually, he realized the ground was changing. He stumbled to a stop, ignoring his own renewed aches and fatigue, and lowered his glowing sandals. The bumpy grey rock was worn smooth, yet it felt unnatural under his bare feet. Odin stomped with a bruised foot, and heard a strange, crunchy sound in reply.

Experimentally, he stomped again, and went pale as the ground visibly cracked beneath him. How rock had become so thin, if it was even natural rock, he had no idea. The mage quickly turned back the way he’d come and stumbled into a tired run, but it was too late. He’d gone too far on the thin ground without realizing it, and the cracks easily outpaced his exhausted speed.

Odin cursed when he felt a sharp pain; a cracking bit of rock had cut his foot. He fell, and the ground broke beneath him. He groped for the path before him and only pulled more grey rock with him. Splashes warned him to take a breath as he fell, but the impact drove all the air out of his lungs.

He tried to grab for his sandals, but he couldn’t see. There were no lights in the watery dark. He struggled to swim for the surface, but he couldn’t tell where it was. Something about the freezing water made his skin tingle, and then burn, and his renewed efforts to escape merely cost him energy he didn’t have. His chest burned with agony; he struggled against this cruel fate; his mouth opened and the prickling water filled his being with darkness until it was all he knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock sounded upon Leo’s door, and the prince nearly threw his quill in frustration. Instead, annoyance plain on his face, he said, “Come in.”

Niles stepped in, closing and locking the door behind him in one practiced motion. His frown told Leo the news even before the former outlaw reported, “There is still no sign of Odin.”

Leo set his head in his hands, considering the news. Odin had been sent to find a mage, an enemy of Father, and thus of Nohr. But that had been a few days ago. Of course, Leo wanted to find out the truth behind the traitor, but if the fellow really had been a villain and, worse, done something to Odin…

“My lord,” Niles interrupted the prince’s train of thought, “do you have orders?”

Leo looked up at his retainer and nodded, agreeing with the unspoken suggestion. “Yes. Niles, find Odin. Take whoever and whatever you want, but don’t risk yourself. I can’t lose both of you.”

“I’ll be careful,” Niles promised. “But, my lord, with both myself and Odin gone…”

Leo held up a hand. “I know, I’ll be vulnerable.” A thought occurred to him. “Niles… perhaps I should go with you. Father would be pleased if I killed the traitor myself, and even if we don’t find the man, it makes a good cover for seeking Odin.”

Niles frowned, “My lord, this plan is risky… but I would prefer to remain by your side. We shouldn’t go alone.” The former outlaw glanced away, then softly said, “If I hadn’t been busy at the time, if I had gone instead--”

“No,” Leo interrupted, despite sympathizing with Niles’ train of thoughts. “This isn’t anyone’s fault, Niles. Now help me think.” True to his suggestion, Leo let his gaze wander and forced his thoughts to follow. “Perhaps I can borrow one of my sibling’s retainers,” he mused. “I know you and Odin are close with Laslow…” he trailed off, biting his lip to ward away the insistent, negative thoughts.

“May I make some suggestions?” Niles asked. Leo nodded, and Niles stepped up to his desk. “We know Odin was sent to look in the Darkwood Forest for the ‘sorcerous traitor’. So, we should bring someone who can navigate in the woods, or perhaps fly above them…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was floating in darkness. Water surrounded him, carrying him gently along some invisible current; he didn’t have the strength to fight it. A horrible ache filled his being. He wasn’t sure if he was alive, or if the gentle coolness all around heralded death. His thoughts slipped from his grasp; his senses followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dancing lights that Leo summoned followed the small group along as they navigated the dark forest, illuminating their way. Of course, Niles had long ago found that most, if not all, forests in Nohr were dark. The fact that this one was actually named ‘Darkwood’ would’ve amused him, if not for the gravity of the situation.

Niles watched the rest of the group through the trees. Leo led his horse through the woods, expression grim. Laslow strode at Leo’s side, on loan from a very understanding Xander; the blue mercenary was paler than usual. A shadow passed by, and Niles glanced up just in time to spot Beruka overhead, also on loan. She flew in circles upon her wyvern, scouting for either Odin or the traitor.

The villagers outside the forest had seen Odin, even spoken with him, but hadn’t heard from him since. Leo had simply thanked them, cloaked to hide his royal identity as he’d been, and their small group had gone into the forest without any trouble. Then Niles and Beruka split up from the others. It was risky to leave Leo with only Laslow’s protection, but the hope was that a smaller party would be harder to notice. That, and Leo always carried Brynhildr.

Niles reluctantly turned away and crept deeper into the forest, scouting ahead. He heard the sounds of a river, likely the same one the locals had been wary of. Something about a curse and a cave, yet when Niles ran his fingers through the rushing river, he only felt cold water.

He surveyed the scene. The river was a good dozen feet wide, maybe wider, and just as deep. Tall grey rocks stood out from the water here and there, an odd formation that the current simply flowed around. He could feel the current when he touched it, but he was pretty sure he could resist it if he just applied himself. But he wasn’t going to try without good reason.

He straightened and turned away, heading back into the woods to report back to his liege.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This time, Odin knew he was awake. There was bright, oddly scattered sunlight above. He shifted, and felt smooth stone behind him; the current must have carried him until he stopped against some large rocks. Slowly, he placed his hands against the stone and tried to sit up, but his limbs trembled with weakness.

How long was I out, Odin tried to say. Except the words didn’t come out of his mouth, his throat felt strange, and the water that should’ve rushed in the wake of his attempt was already inside. He covered his mouth in shock, then pulled his hand away when he felt a strange bunching between his digits. The mage stared at his fingers, spread so the thin webbing was stretched nearly opaque between them. The grey mesh sleeve-glove thing of his dark mage outfit floated around his hand in torn tatters, and the decorative rings were missing entirely.

Beyond his hand, Odin got a good look at the rest of his body. He remained human until roughly his waist, where a long, yellow tail stretched out upon the riverbed, with the torn remains of his pants floating around the upper half. At the tip of his tail, a long, pale fin waved languidly in the current. He noted a cut under the fin, blood lazily trickling out, and remembered cutting his foot. Numerous scrapes and discolored yellow scale mimicked his other minor injuries.

If he weren’t distracted by the physical transformation, he would mourn the death of his awesome outfit. His cape was missing, for Naga’s sake.

Odin glanced up again, noticing how the rocks breached the surface. He turned, squirmed, and tried to climb up them, despite his fatigue; he tried to use his legs, remembered he had a tail, and ended up flicking his new limb and flinging himself several feet to the side. His graceless tumble was arrested by the edge of the river; clouds of sand rose in his wake and surrounded him.

Internally cursing, Odin scrabbled against the sandy incline of the river. He settled for dragging himself along, trying to keep his untrustworthy tail as still as possible. The upper half of his head breached the surface after an eternity, and as his vision cleared he realized his eyes off with every blink.

He grimaced and looked around, trying to ignore the unsettling changes to his body. His body trembled with fatigue; his arms suddenly gave out and he fell prone upon the sand, where he felt the water’s surface lapping right over the tips of his spiky hair. His brief view of the surface had only revealed more dark forest. Nohr was filled with dark forests; it could’ve been the one he’d traveled through, but he wasn’t sure if this river was in that same forest. The aches and the hunger gnawing at him gave no answers. At least he wasn’t thirsty, he reflected.

After lying still for awhile, Odin slowly crawled onto the dry beach. Immediately, he felt the air on his skin as an unwelcome dryness; he hesitated, while most of his long, battered tail remained in the river. Water dripped from all over his soaked outfit; a brief torrent poured from his neck, and clasping a sandy hand against it explained as he felt a trio of slits clamp shut. His chest began to burn, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t breathe the air. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, and found himself turning and desperately crawling back to the water before consciously deciding to do so.

Odin plunged in without hesitation, gasping with the eerie sensation of water rushing in and out of his neck. He lay upon the sandy, rocky riverbed, catching his breath, yet only making a small dent in his exhaustion. The mage squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight the darkness, knowing he had to try and get word back to Lord Leo. But as the current began to overwhelm his tired frame, gently pushing him along, he succumbed to fatigue. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laslow stared into the campfire, letting his expression mimic his forlorn heart. In the few tents around him, Leo, Beruka, and Niles slept, the latter to be woken for the next watch. His own was empty, and he didn’t feel the urge to use it. It was so unlike Odin to simply disappear without a word, and he feared the worst. The clear lake they were camped by, where a wide river emptied into, couldn’t even distract the mercenary from his sorrow.

Laslow glanced over his shoulder as one of the tent flaps opened, unsurprised when he saw Niles slip out. The former outlaw sat beside him, though the usual smirk lacked any genuine feeling. “It’s my turn, you know.”

“I know,” Laslow admitted with a heavy sigh. “I can’t sleep.” Niles nodded and looked away, likely trying to hide unease. Laslow leaned against the former outlaw, and they sat in silence together for awhile.

Niles abruptly stood, and Laslow yelped as he nearly fell over. “Hush,” the outlaw whispered, lone eye locked on the lake. Slowly, the mercenary stood and soundlessly pulled his sword free. He nodded to his lover, grabbed and lit a torch, then crept towards the lake. He could barely make out the sound of Niles preparing an arrow. 

The flickering torchlight revealed ripples upon the lake’s surface, gradually widening and moving towards the sandy shore. Laslow leveled his blade, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He didn’t know much about fish, but the dark shape gradually growing larger didn’t seem like a normal fish. “Niles,” he hissed. “Get ready.”

He made out a hand, pulling a long body along the sandy slope of the lake. But something was off: Laslow made out webbing between the fingers, and some sort of darker material clinging around the arm. He froze, uncertainty and fear vying for control. Just as he was about to strike, however, he realized that he recognized the blonde-haired figure.

“Odin!” Laslow shouted, dropping his blade and the torch as he dove into the shallow edge of water, pulling his bedraggled boyfriend close. Alarmingly, the mage was limp and unresisting. The mercenary turned to call for Niles, but the outlaw was already there and helping Laslow pull the mage out of the cold lake.

As Odin’s head and shoulders breached the water, the dark mage came to life: he struggled to go back from whence he came, despite his palpable weakness. Laslow half-turned and grabbed the torch, wondering if they’d irritated some sort of injury. As soon as the flickering light fell upon Odin, the mercenary felt the blood drain from his body.

A trio of slits adorned each side of Odin’s neck, lines that thinned shut after releasing a small stream of water. The cloth shoulder guard and cape that would have hidden these additions were missing; the rest of the dark mage’s outfit was covered in small tears, and discolored, scraped skin was visible under the grey mesh. What should’ve been legs was instead a long, yellow tail, trailing back into the darkness of the lake. 

As Laslow took this in with silent shock, Niles abruptly let go of the mage, allowing Odin to slip back into the water. But he didn’t go far, and opted to rest just below the surface, eyes closed, exhaustion on his face, gills visibly opening and closing.

Niles quickly squeezed Laslow’s hand, snapping the mercenary back to reality. “Stay with him,” the former outlaw implored, worry soft in his voice. “I’m going to wake up Lord Leo.” When Laslow nodded, Niles stole a quick, reassuring kiss before darting up the short incline to their camp, soundlessly moving over the sandy ground.

Laslow looked back to Odin, and startled when he saw a pale eye peering up at him. He pulled his gloves off, despite them already being soaked through with chill, and reached into the water to cup Odin’s cheek. The dark mage smiled, and his eye slipped close. The mercenary frowned.

Leo rushed up beside Laslow with a glowing tome, magically lighting more of the area then Laslow’s torch had managed. Odin partially lifted his head out of the water, squinting at the light, expression dazed and tired, face flushed, and fins now visible along his ears. “He felt too warm when I touched him,” Laslow offered quietly, as Leo stared at his mer-ified retainer in shock. With the brighter lighting, they could see the end of Odin’s yellow tail, where the length of it was spotty with discoloration and scrapes, and an angry red line rested under the opaque tailfin. Head half-above the surface, Odin blinked, and the cloudy opaqueness of his eyes vanished.

Niles returned and kneeled beside Laslow, eyeing their dazed partner over with lips pressed thin. “Hrm. Weak, feverish, injured… I wonder if all the time he spent missing was like this.” 

Laslow glanced over at a popping noise, where he saw the former outlaw uncorking one of their spare vulneraries. He partially helped Odin out of the water, despite the awkward angle, careful to keep the dark mage’s gills submerged. Niles cupped Odin’s freckled cheek, helping him drink down the vulnerary until the too-deep flush left Odin’s face, and his new tail shifted into a uniform yellow.

As Niles pulled the bottle away, Odin blinked slowly. Then the dark mage sat up on his hands, lifting his upper half out of the water entirely, and stared around at everyone with wide eyes. His lips moved at an alarmed, rapidfire pace, but not even breath was heard. As the three stared at him, uncomprehending, his mouth stilled and he dove back into the lake, briefly, then back up again, expression forlorn. Laslow hardly noticed getting splashed.

“You can’t talk,” Laslow finally stated the obvious, to which Odin nodded miserably. “Here I thought you were just too sick and tired to speak. Oh, Odin, I’m so sorry,” he murmured, genuinely. As much as he teased his love about the theatrics, a suddenly-mute Odin was not a happy Odin.

As Odin dove back underwater, presumably breathed it in, then resurfaced, Leo cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “We won’t solve this at this time of night, and we still have a traitor to hunt down. Odin, get some rest. Beruka will take over the rest of the watch. We’ll talk in the morning.” The young prince couldn’t help but look apologetic, despite Odin’s nod and failed attempt at a smile.

“Yes, my lord,” Niles murmured. As Leo reluctantly returned to his tent, the outlaw leaned in and kissed Odin briefly. “Take it easy, ok?” He whispered. Odin simply nodded, offering a reassuring smile that was barely that.

After Odin dove underwater and returned to the surface again, Laslow shared a kiss with him and added, “If you need anything, just, uh. Splash around a lot.” He grinned weakly, and Odin managed to return the look before diving under again, this time to stay. The mercenary returned to his tent and, with the knowledge that Odin was at least alive and well enough, was overtaken by exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early in the morning, Niles rose from his tent, grabbed some of the bread they had, and walked out to the lake. Odin was curled upon the shallow water of the shore, his tailfin waving gently in the current. As the outlaw kneeled by the lapping water, Odin’s pale eyes slid open.

“Morning,” Niles greeted as Odin rose with a stretch and a soundless yawn. “You should probably eat something.” At those words, the dark mage dragged himself closer to Niles and sat up on his hands again, eyeing the bread. The former outlaw handed it over and watched Odin try to grab it, only to lose his balance and fall into Niles’ lap.

“Already?” He teased, then grunted in surprise when Odin sprang up and kissed him. The dark mage re-settled so he could sit upright, though Niles wasn’t sure how he managed it with the long, serpentine tail. He watched Odin devour the bread with starved energy and frowned. “I’ll give you more in a bit. Don’t pout,” he added as the dark mage did just that, “you’ve been hungry for awhile. You shouldn’t overdo it.” Odin reluctantly nodded, then quickly dove back under, gills fluttering rapidly. “... Don’t wait too long to breathe, either.”

After breakfast, Beruka and Niles were sent to continue seeking the traitor, though the latter only left after double-checking on Odin. Leo didn’t push the issue; after all, Odin was a trusted friend and retainer both, and the dark mage’s predicament was deeply troubling. 

Leo sat by the water, shielding his paper and charcoal with his legs. Odin’s constant diving and resurfacing, while necessary for him to breathe, also caused quite a bit of water to splash everywhere; the prince was sacrificing himself for the sake of his notes. Behind him, Laslow was tidying up the campsite. The plan had been to pack and move on, but Leo didn’t want to leave Odin behind.

“Please slow down,” Leo patiently asked yet again. “You found a cave… and then?” He squinted at Odin’s lips, wishing he’d kept Niles around for this task yet knowing they had no time to waste.

 _There was a false wall,_ Odin mouthed. Leo raised a brow. _I blasted a hole in the back wall with thunder. Then it was a natural cave, and it wentonformills-_

“Odin,” Leo said, again. The dark mage winced, and the prince gently suggested, “Stick with slow, plain language, please. It will be easier for me to discern.” His retainer nodded reluctantly.

 _It went on forever. It was hard to breathe. Humid. Cold._ Odin dove underwater, unintentionally endangering Leo’s notes, then resurfaced. _Sharp rocks above and below. Everything wet. Then the ground broke under me._ The dark mage shuddered, dove under again, returned. _I fell into water and… drowned. I think. But then I,_ he narrowed his eyes, recalling. _I woke up in the river. I saw your firelight._

Leo stared at his notes, then reluctantly back to his retainer. “The… round broke under you?”

Odin shook his head emphatically and mouthed, slower. _G-round. Ground._

“Oh, right, that makes more sense,” the prince muttered as he fixed the mistake. “This doesn’t give me a lot to go on,” he began, before seeing the sorrow on Odin’s face. “Don’t worry, Odin, we’ll figure this out. Most magic in this world can be undone.”

“Besides,” Laslow added as he sat beside the prince, “you’ve got too much dark power to stay like this forever.” He grinned, and Odin managed to smile back. “That’s more like it. Just keep that smile up, you look terrible without one.”

“Sorry to interrupt the pep-talk,” Niles said as he joined them at the shore, startling Laslow. Beruka landed behind them. “But Beruka found the traitor, my lord.”

“He is on the other side of the lake,” Beruka reported.

Leo stood and gazed out at the far end of the lake, expression thoughtful. The trees at the other side were blurry and barely visible. “Where on the other side of the lake? Is he going to stay there?” the prince asked, looking back to the assassin.

“He is among the trees,” Beruka simply stated. “I don’t know if he plans to move.”

“Then we have no time to waste,” Leo said. “Niles, fly over with Beruka first. Keep an eye on his movements. Laslow, you’ll go next, then…” he trailed off, glancing down at the mer-mage that stared up at him hopefully from the water. “Odin. Swim to the other end of the lake and remain on standby in case the traitor tries to flee.” He held in his relieved sigh when, with a very serious expression, Odin bowed before ducking underwater. The dark mage’s swimming was anything but graceful. “... Anyways, I will go over last.”

“I hope he’ll be alright,” Laslow muttered, wincing as he saw the yellow blur of Odin launch from side to side with every awkward, overly-broad stroke of yellow tail.

“He’ll probably be fine,” Niles chuckled, patting Laslow’s shoulder before he left to board Beruka’s wyvern. Leo and Laslow stood upon the shore as they flew off, watching the dragon become a tiny dot in the distance. It wasn’t long until she came back for Laslow, and then Leo, each trip happening without a hitch.

As Leo got his feet back under him, Niles appeared from the brush. “I have his trail, my lord. I can lead you to him when you’re ready.”

“Then let’s not waste any time,” Leo replied grimly, keeping Brynhildr tucked under an arm. He spared a glance back and found Odin peering at them all from the lake. “Remember, keep an eye out.” The mer mage nodded a little. “Good. Thank you, Odin. I’m relying on you to catch him if he escapes this way.” This time, the mage sat up and nodded, looking far more determined. “We’ll be back soon. Beruka, you’ll know if we need you.” She nodded. “Lead the way, Niles,” and with a slight nod of his own, the outlaw did just that.

While Odin waited in the water, and Beruka hovered a distance away upon her wyvern, the other three trudged through the forest. This side of the lake had denser plantlife, enough to be noticeable and annoying. Niles unerringly led them along, however, despite the clingy bushes and trip-happy tree roots, and Leo trusted his skill. Laslow grumbled under his breath every now and then, but knew better then to complain loudly.

Meanwhile, Odin never let his gaze stray from the trees. With only his eyes above the water, he felt like a sneaky crocodile, unaware of how much his blonde hair stood out from the clear lake. As minutes passed, however, the dark mage found himself growing uneasy. He appreciated Leo’s trust, but he knew he couldn’t do much as he currently was. Not unless their quarry leapt into the lake yet was bad at swimming.

The sun climbed higher into the sky, and by contrast, Odin’s heart sunk lower. He couldn’t breathe air, he couldn’t move well on land, and he barely knew how to swim with his new tail. A part of him knew that succumbing to despair was pointless, and he was sure he’d be handling this better if he hadn’t lost his ability to speak. 

He sighed soundlessly at the trees and wondered how deep into the forest the others were. Would he hear the sounds of combat or see the flash of spells? Odin sighed again and ducked his head beneath the surface, annoyed that air seemed to dry his skin out. But he’d promised Leo he would keep watch, even if it was really the only thing he could do. So his eyes peered from the water, and he stared even as the sun bore down from above.

Odin squinted at the treeline as concern began to replace his self-doubt. He knew he was impatient, but he was certain he’d been waiting for an hour or so, at least. Awkwardly scooting along the shore, he lifted himself up by his hands and peered into the forest, but he couldn’t see anyone. He strained his finned ears, but he only heard the gentle lapping of the lake, a soft breeze through the very treetops, brush rustling, and birdsong.

The rustling gradually grew louder, and Odin prepared to leap out of the water if he had to. No traitor would find escape in the lake on this day! Except he recognized the figure stumbling out of the bushes. The dark mage tried to call out, but only irritated the ache in his chest that demanded water.

Laslow stumbled to a halt and looked around, sword drawn and breathing heavily. The side of his pale blue gambeson was bloody and torn, and as soon as he lost momentum he fell to a knee with a grunt. Then he looked up at the sound of alarmed splashing, eyes growing wide. “Hold on, I’m,” he coughed weakly, “I’m fine, you stay there!”

Odin halted reluctantly, having already dragged his upper body out of the lake despite the unnatural, itchy dryness it brought to his skin. Laslow made a shooing motion, nearly overbalancing in the process, and the dark mage gracelessly scooted back into the water. More shooing, and he finally sunk in enough to breathe again.

“Good, now, now stay there,” Laslow managed with a strained voice and a strained smile. The mercenary sat against a tree and went silent, catching his breath. He eyed Odin, who stared at him with open worry, and sighed. “You should see the other guy,” he joked, forcing his smile to stay when the dark mage just kept staring. “I’m fine, love. Just… just give me a moment, ok?” Odin tilted his head, frowning, but reluctantly nodded.

Laslow rested his head against the tree while he summoned his strength, then slowly stood. He shuffled over to the edge of the lake and managed to sit beside the shallow end without falling over. Judging by the silent gasp and the clamor of Odin splashing towards him, the mercenary guessed he’d looked as pained as he felt.

“Careful,” Laslow warned, grimacing, as Odin wrapped an arm around his neck; the other kept him upright. The mercenary rested lightly against his mer-ified partner with a shiver. “I’ll be right here, Odin,” he murmured, “I’ll stay right here, unless Lord Leo needs me. Alright?” Odin nodded slightly, and reluctantly let go to dive under again, but Laslow caught sight of relief upon the dark mage’s face.

As soon as Odin came back up, he stared intently into Laslow’s face. The mercenary stared back with a brow raised and, when he saw Odin’s lips moving, squinted to try and read them. _Why are you here?_

“Oh, I forgot to mention that, huh?” Laslow chuckled nervously. The dark mage’s frown deepened. “Don’t worry, it’s… nothing bad. We found the traitor,” the mercenary began, brows raising when he saw how Odin’s finned ears perked up. “That’s… Odin, can you feel that? That’s so…” Laslow cleared his throat, resisting the urge to say ‘cute’, as his partner simply looked puzzled. “Nevermind. So, we ran into the traitor, and we had a bit of a scuffle. We got separated, and I meant to find Lord Leo and Niles again, but as you can see, I got lost.”

In the midst of the explanation, Beruka circled low, and Laslow looked up and called to her, “They found the traitor. They probably need help,” and she was off without a word. He shrugged and looked back to the mer-mage. “I’m sure she’ll get me if they need me, but I’m out of the fight and I know it.” He laughed, then interrupted himself with a pained grunt as Odin’s arms were flung around his neck. “Careful, careful. I’m ok, I just need a vulnerary or two.” Laslow coughed and sighed, “And a nap.”

Odin buried his face in Laslow’s neck, struggling against worry and thoughts of uselessness. He couldn’t talk, and who knows where the rest of his vulnerary had ended up. His eyes stung, and some bitter part of him noted that at least he could still cry. On top of everything else, his chest was badly aching with the need to breathe, but he didn’t want to let go.

Odin tried to cough, but he just couldn’t inhale air. He began to feel dizzy when Laslow’s arms wrapped under his and dunked him underwater for a good half minute. When the mercenary let go, he peeked out of the lake, worry renewed as he saw his partner clutching that awful side wound.

Laslow grimaced at the concern, “Odin, I just have to sit tight until they can get to me. I’ll…” he trailed off as the mer-mage stared at him with eyes that trailed water for far too long. “Hey, we’ll fix this. We’ll fix you, and we’ll fix me, I promise.” The mercenary coughed, “But… I should go rest. Probably against one of those trees. Alright?” When Odin reluctantly nodded, Laslow leaned in to spare a gentle kiss before stumbling back to fully-dry land. He leaned against a tree and closed his eyes, schooling himself to patience.

Odin watched from the water, webbed fingers curling uselessly in the sand. He stared as Laslow clutched at the bloody injury, chest rising and falling in an uneven rhythm. The dark mage tried to convince himself of Laslow’s words, then realized he should’ve been the one comforting the injured mercenary, and felt horrible all over again.

The sun gradually began to sink in the sky, and Odin’s anxiety spiked above it. Laslow hadn’t moved since their one-sided conversation, and the mage would swear his love was growing pale. He considered trying to light a fire to get the main group’s attention, but knew he’d have to dive underwater so often that wherever he worked would be too wet.

Odin considered trying anyway when he heard a soft groan, and felt himself go paler as Laslow grimaced in pain again. Abruptly, he realized that camp might have a spare vulnerary, and he abruptly ducked underwater to make his awkward, flailing way across the lake. He knew their temporary camp was on land, but if he hurried, he was sure he’d be fine.

It took Odin far too long to make it, and he dragged himself into the shallower water with shaking arms. He made himself wait, gills working furiously as he caught his breath. Peeking above the waterline, he was relieved to find that the tents still stood. Taking a deep gulp of water, he began dragging himself out of the lake and towards the tents.

Immediately, Odin’s skin felt dry and itchy. His gills let free the water he’d been trying to hold in, as if he couldn’t physically hold his breath in this form. He forced himself to keep going, webbed fingers struggling to pull his weight across the wet sand. As the scales on his tail began to brush air, the itchy feeling grew worse, and the mage physically fought against the urge to turn around.

Odin bowed his head and doggedly kept pulling himself along. He twitched uncomfortably as the itching spread from his head to his tailfin, even though the latter part was still underwater. As the base of his fin hit air, a full-body tremor stopped him in his tracks. His chest burned, he swayed with dizziness, and the itching of his skin was becoming something else entirely. He wasn’t sure how he’d describe it, even if he’d been able to think straight. But Laslow needed medicine, and he kept that thought in mind as he finally dragged all of his length, tailfin included, out of the water and towards the camp.

The odd feeling formerly known as ‘itchy’ became sharp, blinding pain all along Odin’s body. He collapsed, mere feet from the campsite, and half-curled in on himself as everything both hurt and tingled. His chest was on fire and his lower half was splitting agony. Somehow he cried out and felt air move through his burning lungs. He weakly reached towards one of the tents with webless fingers as everything went dark. The last thing he remembered was wondering if he could’ve just crawled out of the lake this whole time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soft words floated above Odin’s awareness, but it was the gentle touch of someone’s hand upon his face that fully roused him. As his eyes slowly opened, he made out Niles’ face hovering far above his, and knew it was Niles’ calloused fingers that cupped his cheek.

“He’s awake, my lord,” Niles reported dutifully, if reluctantly. His single blue eye stared at Odin with both relief and worry.

Odin wondered at the reluctance until he heard Leo speak from somewhere nearby. “Thank you, Niles. Please go take your watch now.” The former outlaw looked away, presumably towards the hesitating prince. “I’ll keep an eye on him, but until Laslow is fully recovered, we can’t spare Beruka.”

“And until we can spare someone, we can’t report that we’ve found the traitor. I know. … Thank you, Lord Leo.” Niles glanced down at Odin and smiled sadly. “Be good while I’m gone, ok?” The mage nodded, and the outlaw left his field of view.

Odin carefully tried to sit up, and discovered that he felt drained, but not sore. He was in one of the tents, tucked under the blanket of a bedroll. Experimentally, he shifted against the fabric, and blushed at the feel of fabric brushing far too much bare skin. He glanced up and caught Leo’s gaze, and was very glad that the blanket existed.

Leo was sitting cross-legged beside his bedroll, expression tired and full of concern. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Tired,” Odin croaked, surprised at the dryness of his throat. He cleared it and tried again, with minimal change. “I’m tired, but I’m fine, my lord. What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me that,” Leo admitted. “Before we found you, we managed to defeat and capture the traitor. Then Laslow heard you scream from across the lake, apparently.” Odin winced. “So Laslow called for you, the rest of us heard him, and we rushed back here. Then,” he hesitated while his face tinted red. “Well, we found you. Niles saw to you. Before you ask, Laslow will be fine, he just needs a day for the vulnerary to take full effect.”

Odin sagged with relief, then accepted the cup of water Leo passed to him. After sipping, he admitted, “I’m not sure what happened, Lord Leo. I came here to find some medicine for Laslow, and then there was pain, and I passed out.” After another sip, he looked away sheepishly. “Are there no other raiments that would befit my dark form?”

Leo pursed his lips. “Niles was supposed to see if Laslow has anything to spare. If nothing else, when Beruka returns to Castle Krakenburg to deliver our report, I can ask her to bring back a spare outfit for you.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Odin said with palpable relief, before rubbing at his face. He truly felt as if his energy had been drained away. Pulling his hand away, he eyed his fingers over just to be confirm their lack of webbing.

“You should rest, Odin,” Leo suggested gently. “We can talk more when you’re recovered.”

“But my lord,” Odin began, and continued despite the prince’s frown, “I spent days unable to draw breath. My words were locked away, constrained by the foul machinations of this foul curse,” he spoke faster as he finished, feeling his weak voice give out.

“You can free your words later, and that is an order.” Leo’s stern expression softened a touch at Odin’s sad frown. “You look exhausted, Odin. We were worried about you.” The prince stood, and inclined his head at his retainer. “I will return later. Call out if you need anything.” When the mage reluctantly nodded, Leo left the tent.

Odin stared at the closed tent flaps and sighed. He wanted to check on Laslow, and say hi to Niles, and see the traitor for himself. But Leo was right, and the dark mage unhappily lay down. His fatigue washed over him like the waves of the river, but he found the metaphor unsettling, even as the safer darkness of sleep carried him away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Odin woke up next, he saw two blurry faces hovering above his. As they came into focus, he broke out into a grin. “Laslow! Niles!” he gasped, and was even more delighted when he heard his own much-recovered voice. He shot up and pulled them both against him, and laughed with teary-eyed relief.

Laslow hugged him as warmly as he could while keeping his torso straight. “I never thought I’d miss your incessant chattering,” he teased. 

Odin was so relieved that he simply kissed Laslow breathless. When they finally parted, he sucked in a breath to do some incessant chattering. “Laslow, azure dancer amidst the stygian sun and silver starstream, lover of my restless heart, deepest blue of--”

“Ok, ok,” Laslow laughed, a blush painting his handsome features. “Don’t wear your voice out on me alone.”

“Should I let you have your moment?” Niles asked, with a teasing lilt in his tone and a smirk upon his face. But Odin turned to the outlaw, arms stubbornly fixed around both lovers as he treated Niles to a kiss of equal passion.

“Let me never forget you, Niles, traveler amidst the twinkling sky, who has brought together--” Niles leaned in for another kiss, interrupting Odin. The dark mage didn’t mind.

“That’s enough for now, love,” Niles breathed when he pulled away. He casually slid an arm around Odin, tucking his head upon the mage’s shoulder even as his own was used as a headrest by said mage. “You sound better already.”

“Does he?” Laslow asked as cuddled up to Odin’s uncuddled side, reaching out to twine his fingers with Niles’ free ones. The mercenary slipped arn arm around the mage, and thus enjoyed Odin’s warmth and Niles’ other arm all at once.

“You listened in when Lord Leo spoke to me, didn’t you?” Odin asked without any real concern. He could practically feel Niles’ answering grin, and smiled before he glanced to Laslow. “You look much better.”

“I feel better,” Laslow confirmed and beamed at Odin. “I told you we’d both be fixed, right? Well, I was right.”

“You shouldn’t make assumptions like that,” Niles chided, only half-teasing. “We’re not sure if Odin’s curse is actually gone yet.”

“We’re not?” Odin asked, echoed by Laslow.

“No. Lord Leo wants to be certain before we return to the castle,” Niles explained with a slight frown. “He wanted to check once you felt better, Odin… and once you had something to wear.”

“Wait,” Odin began as red crept up his cheeks, “weren’t you supposed to handle that?”

“Maybe I like you better this way,” Niles teased with a wink.

“Don’t mind him,” Laslow chipped in with a smirk of his own, “you can borrow my spare pants for now, and he knows that.”

Niles mock-pouted, and Laslow laughed quietly. Odin snuggled his lovers closer, happier than ever that he could be part of this banter. He couldn’t help but press kisses atop both their heads, and then their lips met, and before he knew it he was lying down again and caught between two people intent on kissing two other people.

As Laslow’s lips traced his jaw and Niles’ hand slid beneath the blanket, Odin reluctantly breathed, “W-wait, not here, what if Lord Leo--”

Niles hushed him with another kiss, and pulled away only after a long moment. “Fine, but once we’re back at the castle, you’re ours,” he whispered, single blue eye piercing and intent, all too satisfied at Odin’s answering shiver.

“Now then,” Laslow managed, as he simply curled against Odin’s side. “Are you feeling better? Don’t get me wrong, you seem fine, but…” he trailed off meaningfully.

“I’m fine,” Odin admitted, relaxing as Niles draped himself across the mage casually. “I feel great. I feel as if the eclectic power running through my veins has renewed!” He shifted, at once restless and comfortable. “It’s as if I was never transformed nor in pain.”

“That’s good to hear!” Laslow began.

“That’s odd,” Niles finished thoughtfully. “You’ve only been asleep for a night after Lord Leo spoke to you, yet you’re already better?” The outlaw sat up on a forearm and eyed Odin.

“I am!” The mage insisted with a touch of wounded pride. “I’ve no notion of the workings of this magic, but I have been left feeling whole.”

“I believe you,” Niles admitted. “You should tell that to Lord Leo… later.” He curled against Odin again with a sigh.

“We were pretty worried,” Laslow softly uttered. The mercenary reached out to cup Niles’ cheek, having spoken both their thoughts.

Odin swallowed and curled his arms around them both, keeping them close. “I swear I am fine, and no force will keep me from either of you--”

“Hush,” Niles interrupted, quietly. “No platitudes. Just let me enjoy the sound of you breathing like the rest of us.” So Odin hushed, and enjoyed the warmth of his lovers and the feel of air upon his face and within his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We have some time before Beruka returns,” Leo began. They all sat around the cool ash of the firepit as the mid-day sun shone down upon them. The nearby lake gently lapped at the shore, and Odin kept glancing at it uneasily. “Once she does, no doubt she will carry orders to return to the castle. But until then,” the prince looked to Odin, who was dressed in a simple blue tunic and pants, courtesy of Laslow. “We have some time to be sure that you’re… going to be ok.”

“My liege, I have never felt better!” Odin assured with a confident grin, ignoring the twinge of anxiety in his chest. “But I shall gladly submit myself to whatever tests you deem fit.” In truth, the dark mage wanted to know as badly as his liege and lovers did. “What task will I perform this day, Lord Leo?”

Leo flipped open his notebook, the one Odin recognized from the questioning yesterday. “You became human again after you left the lake. But is that because you left the water? Is it because of this particular lake?” The prince frowned thoughtfully. “If you’re up to it, Odin, I’d like to see if re-entering the water has any effect. I’m reluctant to even ask,” he added, before the mage could speak up. “But this… curse is something we need to understand before we can remove it.”

Odin hopped to his feet, striking a pose to cover his unease. “Fear not, my lord. I am ready to begin immediately!” He knew the unspoken concern: that he would have to live with this. But if he could just be human again anytime, he’d be fine, or so he told himself.

“You’re not going to tear up my perfectly good pair of trousers, are you?” Laslow asked warily, with a hint of concern. Odin blushed despite himself.

“You know,” Niles chimed in as he stood and stretched languidly, “other shapeshifters don’t ruin their clothes when they transform.” At Laslow’s surprised look, he added, “That’s just what I’ve heard about the local wolfskin.”

Leo nodded to his one-eyed retainer. “You heard correctly, and I was considering that. Most likely, Odin is different because his change isn’t natural, or so I assume.”

Meanwhile, Odin had walked down to the shore, and regarded the gently sloshing waters with narrowed eyes. The lake lapped at his bare toes with a chill that surprised him. “Your icy heart may choose to reveal itself today, but your foul waters will not conquer my spirit,” he declared to the clear water. The lake continued to exist.

“It’s always cold,” Laslow complained as he stepped up beside Odin. His toes were protected by his boots. He glanced to the mage with an apologetic smile, “Sorry about yesterday, speaking of. It was just too cold after awhile, and I was a bit under the weather.” He winked, as if his wound had been a simple matter.

“It was cold yesterday?” Odin asked, glancing to the water again with renewed unease. “I… didn’t notice.”

Laslow’s expression grew concerned. “You didn’t? Well, uh. That’s good, since you were stuck in there.” His smile was uncertain, but at least he tried. Odin managed to smile back out of appreciation. “By the way, you owe me if you ruin those pants.”

Odin blushed all over again and momentarily sputtered, “H-have you no faith in me? I’ll just take them… uh,” he hesitated and glanced back at his liege, whose face was as red as Odin’s felt.

“No problem,” Niles said as he stepped up and looked to Leo. “My lord, I’m sure myself or Laslow could take notes on your behalf, and we can both keep an eye on Odin.”

“That would be appreciated,” Leo said with obvious relief. He handed the former outlaw his notebook and writing stick, then turned away from the three and cleared his throat. “When you’re ready, Odin, start by just standing in the water.”

“At once, my lord!” Odin chirped with relief. Just to be safe, he shimmied out of Laslow’s pants and flung them towards their owner.

“Hey!” Laslow yelped as he caught them. “These are finely-made, and I’d thank you to handle them with care.” 

“Oh, they’re ffffff,” Odin’s teeth chattered as the cold water reached his knees. He hugged himself and shivered, but felt nothing other then chill and wet.

“No change,” Niles reported, as he carefully and slowly wrote in Leo’s journal. “Aside from Odin being very cold.” He looked to the mage and smiled. “We’ll warm you up later.”

“N-no m-mere lake c-can defeat me,” Odin argued despite the goosebumps dotting his skin.

“Sure. Speaking of, I’ll go build up the fire,” Laslow offered, his brief annoyance about his pants replaced with concern. He turned and headed back to the camp, well within site of the shallows, and true to his word began re-igniting the campfire.

“Good idea,” Leo agreed. He cleared his throat. “Odin, could you go in deeper?”

“H-how d-deep, my l-lord?” Odin asked, as strongly as he could with his shivering.

“Up to your waist,” said the prince, after a moment’s thought.

“R-right a-away, m-my lord,” Odin replied with a wince. He sucked in a sharp, surprised breath as he sat on his knees, the cold creeping up his spine and chilling his more delicate bits. Niles eyed him, and he managed a shaky grin.

“No change,” Niles reported, and after another slow moment of writing, he looked over his shoulder and called back, “Laslow, you might want to get some blankets warm and ready, too.”

“On it!” the mercenary called back. Odin watched him dart among the tents, gathering spare blankets to warm by the growing campfire.

Facing Odin again, Niles casually commented, “You seem cold.”

Odin narrowed his eyes at his one-eyed lover. “W-why d-don’t you j-join me? Th-the water’s f-fine.”

“I’ll pass,” Niles replied easily. 

Leo cleared his throat, “Odin, could you fully submerge yourself? Only for a moment, and then we’re done.” There was regret in his tone.

“Of c-course, m-my l-lord,” Odin stuttered out. He hoped Laslow’s shirt was sturdy enough to withstand cold lake water. The dark mage almost went on, but he was tired of being chilly. So he dove, submerging himself until he was fully under.

The cold of the lake morphed into a sharp pain all along Odin’s spine, radiating out to every inch of his body. He gasped and felt water replace the air in his burning chest. Dryness touched him in fits and bursts; he realized he was writhing in the shallows, where his long tail breached the water’s surface until the pain became a hard ache and he finally lay still, panting through his gills.

Odin felt something smooth and soft under his cheek, and peeked an eye open to see Niles above the water. His webbed fingers clutched at the former outlaw’s pantlegs, and he felt familiar hands stroking his hair and holding him gently. He lifted his head, and saw that he was being held in Niles’ lap, no doubt to keep him underwater and thus breathing. At least he wasn’t cold anymore, he reflected.

“As I suspected.” Leo’s voice was faintly muddied by the water which separated them, but Odin was just glad he could hear at all. “Once fully underwater or above water, he transforms.”

“Odd curse,” Niles commented to their prince, though his blue eye was fixed on Odin.

“It is,” Leo agreed. The prince kneeled in the shallows, shivered as the cold hit him, and frowned with concern at his mer-retainer. “Aside from the pain, it seems more useful than damning.” Odin narrowed his eyes, puzzled, so Leo explained, “I know you can’t speak, and that is a downside, but think of it like this: you can never drown. If you could swim better, that could prove very useful. But we can dwell on that later. How are you feeling?”

Odin wiggled his fingers, then sat up and out of the water and stretched cautiously. He ached, but it was fading fast. Looking to his liege, he grinned confidently. Then he yelped, or tried, as Niles’ arms curled around him.

“You’re w-warm,” the outlaw explained, holding Odin close. The dark mage laughed soundlessly.

“Feeling better already?” Leo asked, brows raising. Odin nodded eagerly. “Hm. So you’re in less pain with every transformation.”

“That’s good,” Laslow commented as he walked over, eyeing his mer-lover. He held a thick, recently-warmed blanket in his arms. “Whenever you’re done playing in the water, I have the fire going.”

Odin smiled and tried to squirm out of Niles’ arms. Then he yelped, soundless, as the outlaw simply lifted him.

“Hold still,” Niles cooed, “We can’t have you collapsing on the sand again, can we?” With a grunt, the outlaw carefully pulled Odin out of the water, which mainly consisted of dragging his long, yellow tail out. 

As soon as his pale tailfin fully surfaced, Odin felt a too-familiar flash of pain across his body. He gasped in air and felt Niles hold him steady, until the agony faded to an ache and his breathing evened out. He realized that Laslow had already draped the blanket around him, and lifting his head to note this fact garnered him a kiss from said mercenary.

“Feeling better?” Laslow asked with a smile and a hint of worry. When Odin nodded, his smile became a bit less worried. “Good. Let’s get you warmed up.” His arms curled around the dark mage, and he took the opportunity to smooch Niles, too, before they both helped their shaky, shivering, soaked lover over to the fire.

Odin pulled his knees up to his chest, though his shivers were already dying down. Laslow and Niles sat against him on either side, and he gratefully enjoyed their warmth. He lifted his head from the mass of blanket, and caught Leo’s gaze.

Prince Leo also sat by the fire, of course. His expression was both thoughtful and regretful. “Thank you for indulging me, Odin,” he began. “We’ll have to do some research once we get home, if we have time. For now, please take it easy… and,” he hesitated. “It might be prudent to learn to swim.” As Odin’s eyes widened in surprise, the prince explained, “This curse of yours might be useful. On the off-chance we can’t remove it, then it may be wise to be able to use it. I won’t force you to, but… give it some thought.”

“I will, my lord,” Odin promised, and fell silent as he did just that. Niles’ hand sneaked under the blanket to squeeze his, and he felt Laslow’s head rest on his shoulder. He smiled. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wait,” Odin whispered into the silence. He lifted his head, pale eyes wide. “The dark power swirling inside me has been tainted with the touch of the ocean… I have been gifted with mastery over both shadows and sea!”

Laslow lifted his head, too, sleepily squinting at the mage. “Oh, no. It’s too early in the morning for this.” Having stated his opinion, the mercenary buried his face against Odin’s neck, arms loosely wrapped around one of the mage’s. He was one of the reasons why Odin couldn’t dramatically gesture with his arms.

The other reason simply nipped his shoulder, causing him to yelp softly.

“If that makes you happy, then go for it,” Niles purred, his voice subtly heavy with sleep. “But wait until morning to tell us about your new love of liquid.”

Odin pouted as he lay back down, but he couldn’t really complain. Not with the loves of his life sharing his bed, curled together in the pre-dawn hours. “Fine, but mark my words, you will have wished you heard of my exalted powers before morning claims us,” he declared, right before yawning. Niles chuckled quietly.

“To be honest,” Laslow admitted with eyes half-lidded, “I’m… just glad you’re ok, and taking this well.”

“Taking it well now,” Niles amended. Laslow shrugged with casual agreement.

“It’s thanks to your support that I am,” Odin admitted. He sighed and relaxed, closing his eyes. “Yours and Lord Leos, of course.”

“Oh, now you want to sleep,” Laslow grumped with a lack of actual grump.

Odin chuckled quietly, feeling warm inside and out. Especially as he felt Niles reach out and grasp Laslow’s hand, and all of them relaxed into sleep together.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my personal/writing Twitter @Squishy_Jerry!


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